Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
What can a spiderโs cousin teach us about camera design?
Graduate student Brendan Lan at Duke University studies the vision of harvestmen, spider-like arachnids with extraordinary eyes. Their tiny yet powerful optics may inspire new kinds of miniature cameras and offer a reminder that the creatures we fear most often help us see the world more clearly.
Brendan is conducting his research at the Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF) lab on Duke University's campus. You can learn more about it here: https://smif.pratt.duke.edu/
Transcript:
00:00:02:10 - 00:00:04:00
Kids have bug phases.
00:00:04:00 - 00:00:07:00
I think I just never grew out of mine.
00:00:08:01 - 00:00:09:19
Check This Out!
00:00:09:19 - 00:00:12:19
I'm studying the vision of arachnids.
00:00:12:20 - 00:00:15:04
There's this specific species that is a harvestmen.
00:00:15:04 - 00:00:19:02
and they have extremely large eyes that seem to perform
00:00:19:02 - 00:00:22:02
better than their eye size would suggest.
00:00:22:02 - 00:00:25:14
Eyes like these have been shaped by millions of years of evolution.
00:00:25:14 - 00:00:27:15
And if we can look to nature
00:00:27:15 - 00:00:31:05
we could create cameras that are better than where we're at now.
00:00:31:09 - 00:00:32:17
Harvestmen are arachnids.
00:00:32:17 - 00:00:34:18
You may know them as Daddy Long legs.
00:00:34:18 - 00:00:37:09
But they're not spiders. they're don't have any venom.
00:00:37:09 - 00:00:40:13
They don't spin any silk, and they're totally harmless to people.
00:00:41:04 - 00:00:44:11
Spiders do so much more good than they do harm.
00:00:44:11 - 00:00:48:23
Globally, they consume hundreds of tons of biomass a year.
00:00:49:01 - 00:00:52:01
And they indirectly affect crops.
00:00:52:01 - 00:00:55:11
Iโm not expecting to change any arachnophobic minds, but I hope that people
00:00:55:11 - 00:00:58:13
will view them with respects rather than fear.
00:00:58:16 - 00:01:00:02
So sweet!
00:01:00:02 - 00:01:03:12
And maybe think about instead of killing them, you know, moving
00:01:03:12 - 00:01:04:08
them out of your house.
00:01:05:08 - 00:01:07:22
If you like research videos like these, stick around and subscribe!
๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ค๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ
Established in 1924 in Durham, North Carolina, Duke University is one of the worldโs leading institutions for education, research, and patient care.
Subscribe โก๏ธ youtube.com/@dukeuniversity
๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ #๐๐ฎ๐ค๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ
Home: https://duke.edu/
News: https://today.duke.edu/
X (Formerly Twitter): @DukeU
Instagram: @dukeuniversity
Facebook: @dukeuniv
LinkedIn: @DukeUniversity
#Spiders #Arachnids #Science #DukeResearch #VisualEcology
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What can a spiderโs cousin teach us about camera design?
Graduate student Brendan Lan at Duke University studies the vision of harvestmen, spider-like arachnids with extraordinary eyes. Their tiny yet powerful optics may inspire new kinds of miniature cameras and offer a reminder that the creatures we fear most often help us see the world more clearly.
Brendan is conducting his research at the Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF) lab on Duke University's campus. You can learn more about it here: https://smif.pratt.duke.edu/
Transcript:
00:00:02:10 - 00:00:04:00
Kids have bug phases.
00:00:04:00 - 00:00:07:00
I think I just never grew out of mine.
00:00:08:01 - 00:00:09:19
Check This Out!
00:00:09:19 - 00:00:12:19
I'm studying the vision of arachnids.
00:00:12:20 - 00:00:15:04
There's this specific species that is a harvestmen.
00:00:15:04 - 00:00:19:02
and they have extremely large eyes that seem to perform
00:00:19:02 - 00:00:22:02
better than their eye size would suggest.
00:00:22:02 - 00:00:25:14
Eyes like these have been shaped by millions of years of evolution.
00:00:25:14 - 00:00:27:15
And if we can look to nature
00:00:27:15 - 00:00:31:05
we could create cameras that are better than where we're at now.
00:00:31:09 - 00:00:32:17
Harvestmen are arachnids.
00:00:32:17 - 00:00:34:18
You may know them as Daddy Long legs.
00:00:34:18 - 00:00:37:09
But they're not spiders. they're don't have any venom.
00:00:37:09 - 00:00:40:13
They don't spin any silk, and they're totally harmless to people.
00:00:41:04 - 00:00:44:11
Spiders do so much more good than they do harm.
00:00:44:11 - 00:00:48:23
Globally, they consume hundreds of tons of biomass a year.
00:00:49:01 - 00:00:52:01
And they indirectly affect crops.
00:00:52:01 - 00:00:55:11
Iโm not expecting to change any arachnophobic minds, but I hope that people
00:00:55:11 - 00:00:58:13
will view them with respects rather than fear.
00:00:58:16 - 00:01:00:02
So sweet!
00:01:00:02 - 00:01:03:12
And maybe think about instead of killing them, you know, moving
00:01:03:12 - 00:01:04:08
them out of your house.
00:01:05:08 - 00:01:07:22
If you like research videos like these, stick around and subscribe!
๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ค๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ
Established in 1924 in Durham, North Carolina, Duke University is one of the worldโs leading institutions for education, research, and patient care.
Subscribe โก๏ธ youtube.com/@dukeuniversity
๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ #๐๐ฎ๐ค๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ
Home: https://duke.edu/
News: https://today.duke.edu/
X (Formerly Twitter): @DukeU
Instagram: @dukeuniversity
Facebook: @dukeuniv
LinkedIn: @DukeUniversity
#Spiders #Arachnids #Science #DukeResearch #VisualEcology
MB01GVUFH8VH0KQ
MB01VFNAJ5QOJA9
